Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-04-29
JOAQUIN MILLER.
i.E WRITES FROM THE DALLES Or
THE OREGON SiERRAS.

| lue NdSCdue ulOuHtfhlUSy YIOI6Tly speak
| ng, the Oregon Sierras, shut of the clouds
IN their journey eastward from the sea.
| They never pass the mighty portals Of snow
hat heap the lofty limits of the Oregon
Sierras, but hang and heave about these peaks
| If snow, drag themselves in endless and
strange contLrtions through the tossing tops
of the somber forests and finally spill and
| pend their forces on the seward side Of the
mountains And thus it is that the sea side
Of Oregon is green and wet, while this, the
mountain part, is generally brown as a berry
and much like California in appearance.
As for the cloud scenery, it is without
question the most sublime in the world The
clouds are simply huge, great black hanks
sometimes, then burning lakes floating above
the somber forests, then silver clouds, golden
clouds, copper aud brass, and clouds that are
black with thunderbolts and threaded with
seams Of lightning, but all are always OH a
scale Of magniticsnce that Is simply match
less.
| 1t seems strange to me to stand here in my
hotel at the Dalles-meaning shute or
4tarrow flume in this great Columbia river,
tnat is fed from Canada-and see men dig
| ging for gold. I spent portion of the year
1852 on this spot, and it was then thought
that the nearest gold fields were in California.
But few years ago-alas, what e,n sayinga
| it is fully quarter Of century ago--they
found gold far up this rushing river and so
| have followed it down until Cinnamon are
| digging in the sands Of tue Columbia fo- gold
from its source almost to the sea.
But never think of those early gold fields
| far to the north Of here, and night in which
the great crowd Of returning miners rushed
from the hotel to the steamer, without a sick
ening shudder. Let me tell you what hap
pened. ! have never told 1t before. This may
help me to forget it, We had been called
| early at the hotel to take the down river
| steamer. Many Of us had loads of gold dust.
For my own part, had quite as much as
| could stagger under, only portion Of which
was my own. was on my way to the mint
in San Francisco with 1t. To miss this river
boat was to miss the weekly ocean steamer
And SO we rushed along pell nell in the mist
and darkness, the lights on the steamer only
binding US and making it more uncertain
under foot.
Suddenly heard slip, a cry; and then far
down under ME in the darkness there was
thud and crash Of waters fell on my
knees and felt about with my hands was
on the edge of a high bridge that spanned
portion Of the foaming river far below.
CROPPED back and around on my hands and
knees and got to the gang plank barely in
time to get aboard. But if that miner at my
side with his load Of gold had not fallen
should. l asked every one l knew OH the
boat II any one was missing; but the man,
reckon, was q stranger to oil. wrote back
to the hotel twice, but never had any an
swer. And SO tried to pei suade, and have
been trying all the time to persuade prself.
hat may be it was Only one of the numerous
| indian fishermen exploiting his supplenesi
yyhila On hiS w " tn his 10 No,
low.
Gen. Grant was stationed here in the early
days. ! knew him fairly we'll here about
thirty years ago. He was more than ordi-
uarily quiet for young lieutenant. do not
now recall precisely anything that he ever
said to me, but remember that his face had
s.. serious and even half sad expression all the
time. .*.
A little way down the river from here, as
we came up yesterday, some parties pointed
nut to curious travellers the old block house
where Sheridan is reported to have had his
;ir't fight. 1t was a brush with hostile In
| ltans, and evidently successful. For the same
pnrties pointed little further up the hill to
IA ugly tree, with many angles and few
leaves, remarking as he did SO: "Au' there's
| where he hung fourteen of EN-"
| ! do not recall at this moment that ever
|
can here record that he was always a great
favorite with the best people of the country
II the old troublous times. Both he and Gen.
Grant are claimed and with good show Of
ight too-as Oregoniaus by the old pioneers
| And only this morning one of these honest old
| men, who was with Us when we were all shut
up in this little town together, took of his hat
| elnwly and gravely when he began to talk to
.ne of Gen. Grant and the old, Old days.
1t is hard not 70 stop and talk to you, my
eader, Of this grand past-the days when
| ;iants were in the hand For one went out
10 rattle up in yonder mountains Many of
us marched out, and not SO many came back.
| And then was the judge Of all this northern
country once, a region that is broader than
many of our eastern states. Yes, the boys
mostly old miners whom had known in Cal
ifornia-elected me to be their judge before
had beard or was yet Of age. And some
one has said of me that with one law book
snd two six shooters sat on the bench and
ADMINISTERED justice for four years. All, the
"nptations TO turn aside and recount son
our strange and pathetic experiences il
.,he early days!
The cheapest place to live in the world l.
here. Stick pin right here and remember III;
you can live cheaper in Oregon than in Italy
or in any other cheap place on earth.
might say almost the same Of some parts OF
California. But the truth is. all through Ore
gon have found things so anazingiy cheap
that I am in duty bound to call especial atten-
ton TO it
And why are things so cheap herei Web,
look out over that river have seen, aud you
can see for half the year through those wide.
deep waters all churned up with plunging aud
leaping fish as big as q baby. Out yonder til,
fruit ripcus and falls and rets oa tue ground
1t is the best fruit in the world. A worm in
al apple or pear was never heard Of in Ore
gon. This fruit is 50 plentiful and cheap that
it does not pay to gather it. This fruit, and all
so. Is Of fruit. grows almost entirely without
care. You plant the trees. and that is about
all As for bread, this wheat you sec grow
ing is grown for Liverpool. Surely the bread
should naturally be cheaper here than over
tho sea. And so might 60 ON and explain
about beef, butter, oil things indeed But
enough has been set down TO explain why this
IS and must remain the very cheapest place to
live iu on the face of the earth.
Landsl Cheap; cheap and rich. People
say they don't want land where they can't
sell the fruit and things that grow SO bounti-
A..n. AZ =.